The HTC 10. With a bold new metal unibody design, uncompromising performance, best camera and audio, HTC thinks it has built the perfect device. Can the latest and greatest from HTC win the hearts of the Malaysian consumer? Can it help HTC reclaim past glory?
With the Samsung Galaxy S7 ruling the roost, the benchmark in the flagship device segment is as high as ever. Eating dust are a pair of impressive Huawei devices–the P9 and the Mate 8, whilst Apple’s almost a year old iPhone 6s still commands. So, with the stage having been set, can the ‘Perfect 10’ device score?
In terms of design, the HTC 10 takes a bolder step forward (or backward, depending on your preference) with fatter chamfered edges. This makes it easier to hold, and less slippery. Personally, I’m not too big a fan of this change, as it makes the device a tad more edgy and unnecessarily fussy. I still believe the M7/M8 form factor was the best, although I give brownie points to HTC for trying.
If there’s one thing HTC always gets right is the material finish and build quality. It’s once again staggeringly good, matched only by Apple. It loses the glossy brushed metal look of the One M9 and I think it’s a good thing. HTC says the device was ‘mercilessly engineered to handle everyday knocks, bumps and scratches.’ I believe them.
It sports a 5.2-inch QHD Super LCD5 display and features no physical button on the front. Like the One A9, the home button is touch-sensitive, with a superfast fingerprint scanner built-in.
The BoomSound speakers are no longer front-facing, which is disappointing. Instead, they’re now bottom-firing. While not in-your-face, HTC claims they’re the best speakers they’ve ever made, calling them BoomSound Hi-Fi edition speakers, supporting the Hi-Res audio standard.
Under the hood, it gets one of the most powerful SoCs in the market today–the Qualcomm Snapdragon 820 running at 2.2GHz. It packs a whopping 4GB of RAM, and 32GB of storage. Just in case you need more storage, you can up it via microSD (up to 2TB).
The Perfect camera
Has HTC built the perfect camera? It’s so good that even DxOMark approves, with a score of 88–one of the highest camera quality scores of any smartphone to date.
The HTC 10 features the world’s first optically-stabilised, large f/1.8 lenses on both front and rear cameras. It boasts larger 12MP new generation UltraPixels (1.55um per pixel) and faster laser autofocus.
Designed to launch in as quick as 0.6 seconds, the camera delivers sharp, high-res images, even in low light situations. Double-swipe downwards when the phone is locked to quick launch the camera.
For experience photographers and enthusiasts, you can shoot in RAW format, and fine tune manual settings in Pro Mode.
How does that sound?
The flagship HTC One devices always had extraordinarily great sound. The HTC 10 goes a step up. It’s certified for Hi-Res audio, support by its re-engineered BoomSound Hi-Fi edition speakers.
The all-new Personal Audio Profile enhances your audio experience by tuning audio to your individual hearing.
The HTC 10 also comes with a Hi-Res audio certified pair of earphones. It features an 8um thin aerospace polymer diaphragm and 70% oversized drivers–giving you richer sound and wider dynamic range.
The dual-SIM, 4G LTE design supports quick charging via the bundled QuickCharge 3.0 Rapid Charger. Get charged up by 50% in just 30 minutes. It features a 3,000mAh battery that it claims can keep the device juiced for up to two days.
It runs Android 6.0 Marshmallow with the latest HTC Sense. HTC Sense now has a Freestyle Layout option that gives you ultimate flexibility, as compared to conventional grid-based layouts.
Pricing and availability
The HTC 10 is available at all official retailers nationwide and at 11street, at a price of MYR2,799 (incl. GST). It comes in two colour options: Carbon Gray and Topaz Gold.
Accessorise
HTC 10 offers an all-new HTC Ice View case with a semi-transparent and versatile single front-cover case. Available in Obsidian Black, the case will retail at MYR159.00
For more information on purchasing the HTC 10, visit 11street.my
